1. Field of the Invention
Erythrose has a great number of applications in the fields of foods, polymers, fine chemicals, the medicinal industry, and the like. Erythritol produced by reducing erythrose is currently utilized as a low calorie sweetener.
2. Discussion of the Background
As to processes for preparing erythrose, the method by Wohl is known, which comprises decomposing D-arabinose oxime by way of acetylated aldononitrile (Wohl, A., Ber., Vol. 65, 168, 1893), but the yield of erythrose by this method is low. Additionally, another method comprising glucose oxidation using lead tetraacetate is known (Whistler R. L., et. al., Methods in Carbohydrate Research, Academic Press, Vol. 1, 64-66, 1962). The method, however, requires multiple complex steps, and therefore, the method is hardly applicable to an industrial process, although the method is indeed effective as a method for preparing erythrose in laboratories.
Alternatively, it has been known that cellulose can be decomposed into water-soluble products such as glucose through a decomposition reaction where water in a super-critical state or in a sub-critical state is used as the solvent, and that in such decomposition reaction various by-products such as erythrose, fructose and glyceraldehyde are produced ("Science and Technology of Super-critical Fluid", Sankyo Business, 280-286, 1996). However, the yield of erythrose produced through these reactions is low, and therefore, these methods cannot be substantially applied to the preparation of erythrose.